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Books United Kingdom - Post Cold War

Published 13-Apr-2017

AMX-13 Family – AMX-13 75/90/105 and SS-11 ATGM

By John Prigent

AMX-13 Family – AMX-13 75/90/105 and SS-11 ATGM reviewed for Military Modelling by John Prigent

AMX-13 Family – AMX-13 75/90/105 and SS-11 ATGM

By Olivier Carneau, Jan Horák and František Kořán

It has been a long wait for reference material in English about the AMX-13 series of tanks, but perhaps not surprising with only the old Heller kits on the market. Now we have at least eight kits from Tamiya, Takom and Best Value Models, plus several aftermarket sets and decal sets with quite possibly more to follow. WWP has provided just what modellers need in this book.

After a text introduction it heads straight into colour photo coverage of the main variants, with walkarounds of the main production types pointing out their changes. There’s more difference than one might expect between the early and final versions, quite apart from the obvious main armament upgrades and the SS-11 guided anti-tank missile mounts – hulls and idlers changed as well as the tracks. Several export users also asked for modifications, which aren’t always obvious until you know they’re there. Instead of giving a complicated table of all these changes WWP has noted them in the photo captions, so read those carefully if you plan to modify a model kit to a different production period or user.

On page 16 we get into the details of the different hulls followed by the type 2A hull exterior, the driver’s compartment, 2B hull, driver’s area and fighting compartment (the type 1 hull wasn’t used for production tanks). Then come eight pages of chassis, suspension and wheel photographs.

After those, attention turns to turrets. First is an early-production Swiss 75 mm tank, outside and inside, followed by a French-style turret with noticeably different casting details and 90 mm turret. Yes, even the different automatic loader. After that there is coverage of the engine and gearbox, and the final section shows the 105 mm turret and gun.

Detailers will need this book to get those details right, and anyone thinking of scratchbuilding an interior will find it essential (if the aftermarket produces one it will still be needed to check details). Highly recommended!